How to register a death

Registering a death is a legal step that has to happen before most funerals can go ahead. It is free, it does not usually take long, and the registrar will guide you through it. The rules differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check the right section below.

Key points

• England and Wales: register within 5 days of the medical examiner’s office confirming that you can. Weekends and bank holidays count.
• Scotland: register within 8 days of the death, where possible, at any registration office in Scotland.
• Northern Ireland: register within 5 days, at any district registration office. The registrar can often complete it with you by phone.
• A relative usually registers, but others can if no relative is able to.
• Registration is free. Death certificates cost extra, and it is cheapest to buy them at registration in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Deadlines and differences by nation

The England and Wales deadline used to start on the day of death. Since the statutory medical examiner system began on 9 September 2024, the clock starts when the medical examiner’s office tells you that you can register. The ONS found that the median time from death to registration rose from 6 to 8 days after the change. Our death registration deadline tool works out your date.

Before you can register

• England and Wales: The doctor proposes a cause of death, and a medical examiner (an independent senior doctor) reviews it. The medical examiner’s office will usually phone you. They then send the medical certificate to the registrar and let you know you can register. If the death has been reported to a coroner, see below.
• Scotland: The doctor sends the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) to the registrar electronically. Find out which office it went to. Some certificates are picked at random for review, which should add no more than 1 to 3 working days. If the funeral must happen quickly, for example for religious reasons, ask about advance registration.
• Northern Ireland: The doctor or hospital emails the MCCD to the General Register Office, which passes it to the registration office covering the person’s home address. The registrar will then phone you to arrange the registration.

Who can register a death

England and Wales. A relative should register if possible. Since September 2024, this includes a partner who was living with the person in an enduring relationship. If no relative can register, the following people can:

• someone who was present at the death
• a senior administrator of the hospital or care home where the person died
• the person arranging the funeral
• a representative acting on behalf of the family

Scotland. A relative, someone who was present at the death, the executor or solicitor, or someone who lived with the person if they died at home. If none of these can register, anyone who knows the details and has the right documents can.

Northern Ireland. Usually a relative, including a relative by marriage. Otherwise, someone present at the death, the person arranging the funeral, the executor or administrator, the person in charge of the building where the death happened, or the person who found the body.

What information you’ll need

The registrar will ask for:

• the person’s full name at death, and any previous names (such as a maiden name)
• their date and place of birth
• their last address and occupation
• the full name, date of birth and occupation of their spouse or civil partner, living or late
• whether they were getting a State Pension or other benefits
• in Scotland, their parents’ names and occupations, and the name of their usual doctor
• in Northern Ireland, their marital status and GP’s details, the parents’ names and occupations if the person was under 16, and any NI Civil Service or teacher’s pension

Documents to bring

If you have them, bring the person’s:

• birth certificate
• marriage or civil partnership certificate
• NHS medical card
• passport or driving licence
• proof of address, such as a Council Tax bill or utility bill
• anything showing a pension or government payment

Don’t worry if you can’t find them. In Scotland, mygov.scot says a registrar can register the death with just the medical certificate. Elsewhere, ask the register office what to do.

What you’ll get

• England and Wales: the certificate for burial or cremation (the “green form”), which your funeral director needs before the funeral, and any certified copies you buy.
• Scotland: a certificate of registration of death to give to the funeral director, and a free abbreviated extract of the register entry. You can buy full extracts too.
• Northern Ireland: the registrar issues the Certificate for Burial or Cremation to the funeral director. You can buy full or short death certificates. Short certificates don’t show the cause of death.

Most people need several death certificates. See death certificates for how many to buy and where to order more later.

If the death was reported to a coroner or procurator fiscal

England and Wales. If the coroner decides not to investigate, the medical examiner will confirm that you can register as normal. If there is a post-mortem but no inquest, the coroner sends a form (CN2) to the registrar, who then contacts you. If there is an inquest, the death is registered after it ends. Meanwhile, the coroner can give you an interim death certificate for probate and Tell Us Once, and can authorise the funeral.

Scotland. When the procurator fiscal has finished investigating, a medical certificate can be issued and you can register. This may be after the 8-day period.

Northern Ireland. The death can only be registered once the registrar gets the coroner’s certificate. The coroner can consent to the burial or cremation before registration.

Registering a stillbirth

A stillbirth (a baby born dead after 24 weeks of pregnancy) must be registered within 42 days in England and Wales and 21 days in Scotland. In Northern Ireland you have up to 1 year. Usually a parent registers, and you can name the baby in the register. Registrars are very experienced in supporting parents through this. See funeral for a baby or child for help with costs and choices.

If the person died abroad

Register the death under the rules of the country where it happened. You can also apply to register it with the UK authorities for deaths from 1 January 1983 onwards, but you don’t have to. If you bring the person home to England or Wales, take the foreign death certificate (with a certified translation) to the register office where the funeral will be. You will get a certificate of no liability to register for the funeral director. See repatriation.

Next steps

• Choose a funeral director: find one near you or read how to choose a funeral director
• Use Tell Us Once to notify government departments
• Work through our when someone dies checklist
• Read the full guide: what to do when someone dies